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Arsenal: Wenger on keeping best players; Sanchez contract update; Ancelotti criticises club’s ambition
Ahead of this weekend’s match against Manchester City, . In the past, Arsenal have sold their star players to Manchester City, with the likes of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor all switching the Red of Arsenal for the Sky Blue of City. However, the financial gap has narrowed and Arsenal are now able to compete with the leading sides in the division.
‘We are (in a stronger position now) because today I feel we can give financial satisfaction and support ambitions and values that can make the players happy at this club.
‘Before, perhaps the financial gap was too big a difference to keep our players. We could not compete, we had to sell players.’
This will be reassuring for Arsenal fans, especially as the rumours surrounding Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez continue. The Gunners are now emerging as a financial power, but there is still some way to go before they can compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. A title challenge this season will help them considerably as it will make them a more attractive club for prospective targets. Arsenal want to be one of Europe’s best clubs and they are slowing going in the right direction.
The speculation surrounding Alexis Sanchez refuses to go away and it has the potential to affect Arsenal’s season if it isn’t sorted out one way or another. report that the club have come short with their latest offer of £180,000, with Sanchez wanting considerably more than £200,000 p/w. The Chilean has a huge offer on the table from China and the longer his new deal at Arsenal isn’t signed, the more likely it is that he will consider a move to Asia.
The club remain hopeful of agreeing a new contract with Sanchez, but they will know that the 27-year-old holds all the cards. He is in great form and will have a lot of interest from around the world. Sanchez is in a powerful negotiating position and for that reason, it could be better for Arsenal to give him what he wants and end the saga before it has a negative effect on their season. At the moment, Sanchez is the best player in the Premier League and it would be a huge blow for Arsenal to lose him in the next 18-months.
. The Italian has managed some of the biggest clubs in the world and there are few better managers than him. He will come up against Arsenal in 2017 with his Bayern Munich team in the Champions League.
“In the big clubs it is difficult to stay a long time because the expectations of results are so high. Madrid’s history and demands mean that if a coach doesn’t win trophies, a change is made. You have to respect that.
“It’s true that there are other clubs like Manchester United, where [Alex] Ferguson was there many years, and now Wenger at Arsenal. These cases are different, as their owners are from the US and they are more interested in the financial aspect than in who is coach.”
These comments aren’t helpful as Wenger is already faces enough criticism from the crowd and having Arsenal’s ambition questioned by one of his peers will only inflame that. The job that the Frenchman has done at Arsenal is often overlooked, but to keep them in the top four is a great achievement, especially considering that Liverpool and Manchester United have fallen down the league in recent years.
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